Process of treating vegetable fibers



Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE No Drawing. Application June 15, 1938. Serial No. 213,951

11 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of treating vegetable fibers; and has for one of its objects the processing fibers which are of a low grade to so change their characteristics that they may be acted upon in the same manner as other more expensive fibers such for instance as causing the cheaper fibers to be soft, spinnable and of such a character that they may be dyed.

Another object of the invention is to treat a blend of the different fibers simultaneously or at the same time and with the same chemicals that the after treatment of all of the fibers will be the same that a better blend of the different fibers may be had.

Another object of the invention is to so modify the qualities of such fibers as jute, hemp or fiax that they may be blended with each other and with such fibers as rayon or cotton so that an imitation wool may be had in which the fibers are very soft, spinnable and will have considerable loft.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blend of fibers which may be carded and afterwards spun.

A further object of the invention is to providea blend of various different fibers which may be dyed together in the same bath and will take on the same color so that the individual different fibers need not be separately and independently dyed before being blended.

Another object of the invention is to take a predominating part of the less expensive fibers and so treat them that they will be indistinguishable when blended or mixed with a lesser part of the more expensive fibers and yet the strength and.

including dyeing before the blend takes place as a different process or different chemicals are used for each of the different fibers in order that they may acquire the same color and approach other similar characteristics; and in many instances the best that may be produced is only a close approximation of the desired unity of appearance,

andwhen blending is attempted after such pro essing the blending is imperfect and the different fibers may be readily distinguished in such blend; and in order that a more perfect blending may be had and a much simpler operation may be performed, such for instance as by treating the blend all at one time in a single treating operation, I have worked out a chemical composition by which a single treatment to change their characteristics may be performed and which will soften all of the fibers, cause them to have spinnable qualities and also the quality of taking the same color in a dye bath when all are simultaneously treated therewith.

In accordance with my invention I provide two different mixes which are then brought together into a finished composition. Mix 1 consists of 1 lb. of sodium hydroxide crystals of 76% strength and 8 ounces of kerosene oil. This mixture is heated in a water bath to 150 F. at which ternperature the crystals become soft (for instance, as soft as a ripe peach or a pear). The mixture is then allowed to cool, and in cooling the crystals absorb the kerosene oil. Practically all of the kerosene oil will be absorbed upon cooling, but any that is not absorbed will be drawn ofi".

Mixture 2 consists of: Acetic acid (strength 10 Baum at F.) 8 fluid ounces, sodium chloride, 8 ounces by weight, sodium carbonate, 1 lb. This mixture is prepared by first adding the sodium .chloride to the acetic acid which will partly dissolve and then adding the sodium carbonate when the mixture is heated in a water bath to This mixture is poured into mixture 1 and thoroughly stirred. By dissolving the kerosene in the sodium hydroxide it mixes with the ingredients of mixture 2 which otherwise would not be had. The reaction which takes place will cause the temperature to rise to approximately F. The sodium chloride which is present assists in keeping down the boiling of this mixture. Afterthese two mixtures are put together the whole is allowed to cool, but care must be taken that it does not cool below 40 F. The compound is now ready for use and is in a concentrated form which will be diluted with water.

This compound is alkaline (strength 11%).

For treating the fibers I will select the different quantities of the different fibers in accordance with the final ,quality of product which is desired 25 lbs. or 25% of rayon waste. These fibers will be mixed together in a picker in the usual way in order that they may be thoroughly mixed together. For treating this 100 lbs. of fiber I will use 400 gallons of water at .120 F. and 12 lbs.

-of the compounded chemical above described,

steam into the bath so that at the end of a half hour the temperature, will be 180 F.

This operation it is found will strip the jute fibers in the mix of the lignin and will cause any reddish or brownish tinge which might have been confined to one of the fibers, such as jute alone, to cause all of the fibers to have this same reddish or brownish tinge, it being thought that the fibers such as cotton and rayon absorb this lignin to some extent which is previously present in the jute. At the end of this half hour treatment the bath is run off from the fibers and replaced with cold water which removes any dirt on the fibers. It will be found that the fibers after such treatment have somewhat of an oily film on them which apparently is brought out by the action of the cold water upon them, it being possible that the cold water separates some of the chemicals from the kerosene oil leaving the deposit of the kerosene oil on the fibers.

After this cold water is runoff, the fibers are ready for bleaching which may be accomplished by the use of any good bleaching agent. I have found that sodium hypochlorite is a very good bleaching agent for this purpose. For 100 lbs. of fibers I use 10 lbs. of the hypochlorite in 400 gallonsof water. The bath is commenced cold and is raised to a temperature of 160 F. in about fifteen minutes. This causes a bleaching of the fibers after which the bleaching bath is run ofi and the fibers are rinsed with cold water, the machine running to stir up the mixture in the cold water for about ten minutes. After the rinse in cold water I find it desirable to fill the tank containing the fibers with warm water at 120 to 130 F. and add to the bath enough soap to create a lather upon stirring, and then raise the temperature of the bath to boiling or approximately 212 F. in about fifteen minutes. The soap bath is then run off and another rinse of warm water between 120 to 130 F. is had, after which the fibers are dried rather slowly by ex tracting the moisture in some suitable drier as a centrifugal drier of a known commercial type.

The fibers thus processed are found to be soft, spinnable and have such a quality that when dyed they will all dye the same. The fibers may then be -put through the carding, spinning and twisting operations for the formation of yarn which may be made up into fabrics. The fibers and yarn have a loftiness or wool-like quality which tends to cause them to spring back to original position if once bent or deflected therefrom. They also blend in well with the fibers with which they are grouped.

While I have spoken of a certain blend of cotton, rayon and jute, it will be readily apparent that I may make other blends such for instance as jute and fiax, fifty-fifty, rayon and jute, fiftyfifty, or other various proportions and mixtures,

the treatment acting on any of these to cause them to have the desirable properties which I mention.

The foregoing description is directed towards the method and construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the equivalent changes to which the construction and method are susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The process of treating vegetable fibers which comprises subjecting the fibers to treatment in a bath consisting of an aqueous solution of a mixture of a fatty acid, a degumming and softening agent, a caustic material, and kerosene oil.

2. The process of treating vegetable fibers which comprises subjecting the fibers to treat-- ment in a bath consisting of an aqueous solution of a mixture of acetic acid, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, 2. caustic material, and kerosene oil.

3. The process of treating vegetable fibers which comprises subjecting the fibers to treatment in a bath consisting of an aqueous solution of a mixture of acetic acid, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and kerosene oil.

4. The process of treating vegetable fibers which comprises subjecting the fibers to treatment in an aqueous bath comprising a mixture of acetic acidysodium chloride and sodium carbonate to which mixture crystals of a caustic material containing dissolved kerosene oil has been added.

5.' The process of treating vegetable fibers which comprises subjecting the fibers to treatment in an aqueous bath comprising a mixture of acetic acid, sodium chloride and sodium carbonate to which mixture crystals of sodium hydroxidecontaining dissolved kerosene oil has been added.

6. The process of treating textile fibers which consists in simultaneously treating a mixture of a plurality of different fibers in an aqueous bath comprising a mixture of ,acetic acid, sodium chloride and sodium carbonate to which mixture crystals of a caustic material containing dissolved kerosene oil has been added,

7. The process of treating textile fibers which consists in simultaneously treating a mixture of a plurality of different fibers in an aqueous bath comprising a mixture of acetic acid, sodium chloride and sodium carbonate to which mixture crystals. of sodium hydroxide containing dissolved kerosene oil has been added.

8. The process of treating vegetable fibers which comprises subjecting the fibers to treat ment in a hot alkaline aqueous bath comprising a mixture of acetic acid, sodium chloride and sodium carbonate to which mixture crystals of a caustic material containing dissolved kerosene oil has been added.

9. The process of preparing a mixture of a plurality of different vegetable fibers for obtaining a blended product adaptable-for subsequent processing by the same finishing operations to form a mixed spun yarn susceptible to the same dye with all the fibers acquiring the same characteristics, comprising simultaneously treating said mixture of fibers in a bath comprising an aqueous solution of acetic acid, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and kerosene oil, allowing the mixture to remain in said bath for approximately a half hour while gradagent, a caustic material, and kerosene oil, heatually raising the temperature of the bath and the fibers to 180 F., washing the treated fibers with cold water, bleaching the washed fibers by subjecting the same to a bath containing a bleaching agent for approximately fifteen minutes' during which bleaching treatment the temperature of the bleaching bath is raised from a cold condition to a temperature of 160 F., rinsing the bleached fibers with cold 'water, then boiling the fibers in a soapbath for approximately 15 minutes, rinsing the soap treated fibers with warm water, and thereafter slowly drying the fibers.

10. The process of treating a. plurality of different vegetable fibers comprising the steps of mixing the fibers, subjecting the fibers to a bath which comprises an aqueous solution of a mixture of a fatty acid, a degumming and softening ing the bath and the fibers, bleaching the fibers, and thereafter subjecting the fibers to a soap treatment, the fibers after each treatment being subjected to boiling and washing operations.

11. The process of treating a plurality ofxdifferent vegetable fibers comprising the steps of mixing the fibers, subjecting the fibers to a bath which comprises an aqueous solution of a mixture of an acetic acid, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, a caustic material, and kerosene oil, heating the bath and the fibers, Washing the fibers with cold water, bleaching the fibers, washing the bleached fibers, subjecting the fibers to a soap treatment, and then boiling and, again washing the fibers.

JOHN R., MILSON. 

